Monday, August 31, 2009

White Plume Mountain, B/X Style (Part 2)

18. This pit is unremarkable save that it is 10’ deep, fills the width of the corridor, and may be missed as it is underwater.

19. The copper plates on the walls of this corridor are 6’ high and 6’ wide and cannot be damaged not removed. Metal passing between the plates becomes hotter the farther it is brought…at 40’ metal armor is hot enough to do 1D8 damage, progressing to 2D8 at 50’, 3D10 at 60’, and 4D10 at 70’. A person attempting to run the length of the corridor in armor will take all this damage. At 50’ metal is hot enough to burn through any cloth wrappings or rope being used to drag it. Fire resistance allow characters to take no damage with a successful save vs. spells, half damage with a failure, and wand of cold or ice storm spell will cool the plates enough for the party to dash through.

22. The two section A areas are 10’ pits lined with rusty razor-sharp blades; anyone falling in takes 1D12 damage and (unless making a save vs. poison) contracts a virulent super-tetanus that is absolutely fatal in 2-5 rounds (curable with a cure disease spell).

23. The frictionless surface of the area B (between the razor pits) is utterly frictionless such that a person so much as setting a foot on the floor will immediately begin sliding and ricocheting like a billiard ball until inevitable sliding into one of the razor pits). The wall at C is illusionary; objects thrown or fired at it simply disappear as they pass through. No movement spells (fly, levitate, teleport, etc.) will work in this room. There are NO monsters in this room.

24. There are SIX small, two-man kayaks in this room.

25. Sir Bluto Sans Pite (AC -1, HD 10, Hps 50, +3 to hit and damage with Strength 18) and his 8 fighter henchmen (AC 4, HD 4, Hps 20 each), all with swords, will ambush the characters here. Sir Bluto is immediately recognized as being wanted in civilization with a reward of 10,000gps. He wears plate mail +2, shield +1, and boots of traveling and leaping. He also carries a key that will open the secret doors for area 25.

The safe set in the north wall of level E contains 6000sps and a jeweled scepter worth 3000gps. Failure to disarm the trap on the safe results in the triggering of a vibration device that destroys all glass walls in 1D6 rounds. A magical force wall will prevent the water from flooding room 27 to the south until all water has drained (in about 20 turns, through four small lava tubes). The magical wall disappears once all water has drained.

28. Quesnef the Ogre-Magi (HD 5+1**, Hps 35, see the New B/X Monster section at the end of this document) has disguised himself to look like a doughty Halfling warrior, a captive of Keraptis. In reality, the creature lost a bet with the wizard and is now forced to serve him for 1001 years.

Quesnef’s treasure (casually shoved beneath a sumptuous divan) include Blackrazor and the following: 1000eps, 200pps, a necklace worth 6000gps, a pair of earrings worth 1000gps each, and a jeweled bracelet worth 3000gps, a potion of healing, a scroll with the clerical spell protection from evil, and a set of cursed plate mail (AC 9).

END NOTE: If the PCs are leaving the dungeon for the final time and have managed to recover two or even three of the magic weapons, they will find the force wall back in place at area #2, blocking their exit. The sphinx will be gone (if she was still alive) and in her place will be two efreeti (HD 10*, Hps 40 and 36, X31/LL72), named Nix and Nox, here to re-claim the weapons from the PCs. If the PCs can defeat the efreeti they may leave the dungeon. If not, or if they choose to surrender, they are taken to Keraptis’ Indoctrination Center (see area #9) where they are enslaved, set to be the new guardians of the items of power!

ADDITIONAL REWARDS: Due to the ratio of Monster XP to Treasure XP it is suggested that surviving PCs receive an additional reward of 10,000gps (each) from the owners of the magical weapons upon said weapons return. If PCs are unable to reclaim all three weapons, they should still receive additional reward of 3000gps (each) for each recovered weapon returned to its owners (an extra 1000gps “bonus” would have been paid to each PC for recovery of the entire set). Failure to return recovered weapons will result in the party being tracked and hunted by the rightful owners.

FINAL NOTES: This module works best for 4-10 players of levels 5-10. Experience points for monsters listed has not been included as each compatible game system has slight variations in how XP are calculated for individual monsters. When adapting White Plume Mountain to B/X,BECMI, or LL play it should be noted that XP is not awarded for overcoming specific tricks or traps…the treasure found is commensurate with the XP being given (after including reward for the return of weapons); it is not expected that additional XP be granted for solving riddles and such. However, riddles that result in the bypassing of a monster (for example the sphinx or bone golems) should reward full monster XP as per “defeating” the monster(s) in the encounter.

Kelpies are a semi-intelligent form of carnivorous aquatic plant. They may shape their bodies into any form they choose, often appearing as beautiful human women, though their substance is still that of green seaweed-like material.

Once per day, the kelpie may cast a powerful charm person spell (-2 to save) that only affects males. They will use this to lure men to a watery doom, beckoning them into the kelpie’s undersea embrace. Wrapped around his neck the kelpie will drown the man in short order (taking 2-20 points of damage until surfacing or slain).

Ogre magi are slightly larger than their normal ogre brethren, but much more intelligent, capable of great cunning and wickedness. In addition to their great strength, they can fly (as the magic-user spell), create darkness, become invisible, and polymorph into any form from the size of a rat to a 12’ tall humanoid. Once per day they may cast charm person and sleep, assume gaseous form (like the potion), or create a cone of cold (like the magic wand). They are fond of magic items and will use any that come into their possession, instinctively knowing its powers.

The young sphinx is but a shadow of the creature she will one day become. Incredibly intelligent, she has the ability to cast spells as an 8th level magic-user and can also use the following spells, at will: detect magic, read magic, and detect invisible. Sphinxes read and speak all languages.

Her lion body, while powerful, is still young and she flies at the same rate as the normal movement. She is obsessed with puzzles, riddles, and trivia, and combat may be avoided with one simply by interesting her intense intellect.